Friday, February 01, 2013

Friday Five: Almost Groundhog Day Edition

Then I saw that movie. And an odd holiday that seems to be a remnant of an obscure Pennsylvania German custom took on all sorts of new meaning.

So, in honor of the movie and the day, I present you with this Almost Groundhog Day Edition of the Friday Five!

1. The Holiday: On a scale of 1-5 (with 1 representing, "Hey! Stop hating on the most awesome season ever!" and 5 representing, "Green. NOW."), how much are you hankering for spring? And what is, to you, a true sign that it is actually on its way?

2. The Film: Seen it? If yes, Love it? Hate it? Meh?

3. The Meaning: If you could relive one day of your life, what one would it be?

4. The Meaning, Part 2: If you had to relive one day of your life over and over until you got something right (a la the Bill Murray character in the film), what day would that be?

5. The Meaning, Part 3: If you had to design a life-changing experience for a fairly despicable human being (as is, for example, the Bill Murray character at the film's start), what would it be? How, given all sorts of unlikely powers to bend time and take control of another person's personal growth, would you do it?

Hey, Revgals! What Americans call "Groundhog Day" is really a subtle remnant of a much older Northern European/Celtic celebration that honors women, fire, poetry, metalcraft, and midwifery! There are lots of fun traditions to explore around St. Brigid / Candlemas / Imbolc. In fact, the whole "groundhog" thing actually came about when European immigrants to North America wanted to keep the folk custom of guessing winter's length by watching badgers emerge from their burrows at this time of year. They couldn't find any badgers, so they settled on groundhogs as a convenient replacement!